I thought you might like an update on my close encounters with the other kind. Some of you may recall the posting I did Out There which got quite a response (click here). I have since met the mystery man - André, who always seems to be outrageously dressed - that's him on the left sporting a new outfit. I see him regularly in the neighborhood and we always say hi - he is most cordial. On my first meeting after the posting I did, I introduced myself, gave him my card, told him that he had been featured on this site and that I had entitled it "Out There", saying bluntly but in a complimentary tone: "you have to admit - you are rather out there." Friends cringed when I told them about my remark, but he was pleased to have been featured and his response was quite positive (as I expected): "I like to think of myself as Fashion Forward." I love that. Most recently I saw him in the most outrageous, fanciful outfit - glittering, futuristic style - unfortunately I did not capture it on camera. The other person on the right photo I found very smartly dressed. I met him in Tompkins Square Park. I have posted on a number of individuals who, let's say, are rather unconventional and exhibitionistic, most notably Spike and Narcissism Gone Wild. Of course, some may consider these people rather tame in the world of body alteration: tattooing, piercing, branding, scarification, subdermal implants, and even cornea tattooing. Katzen the Tiger Lady, e.g. has full body tattoos resembling that of a tiger with whiskers attached via piercings on her face (I have met her and have photos of the two of us). She was once married to The Enigma, a sideshow performer who has had extensive body modification, including horn implants and a full-body jigsaw-puzzle tattoo ...Posts of the Unusual. Click on any of the following 7 links: Out There, Spike, Narcissism Gone Wild, Spring Madness, Superheroes, Snake Charmer and Circus Amok
9 comments:
I think this is one of the main reasons people come to live in NYC, so they can be themselves. Sometimes that can mean not being like anybody else at all, which is much more accepted and celebrated in NYC than I think anywhere else in the East Coast...
This is true. Many people of this ilk would not survive outside the city or would have to severely repress their impulses.
Je pense qu'il n'y a qu'à New-York que ces personnages peuvent s'habiller ainsi ! Que penser de la façon dont ils s'habillent et dont ils traitent leurs corps ? Eux seuls en sont responsables et pourraient en donner l'explication.
Fabulous!
I adored your Out There posting and love this one every bit as much. So glad you got to talk to this great guy. I love his phrase 'Fashion Forward'
Fabulous posts and great portraits. Sort of a bit like The Sartorialist, whose blog I like, but more so!
I see this guy all the time.
It's really funny, I come to your blog...and I learn the information I've been seeking every day. You just have the guts to ask and figure it out.
It makes me happy.
Andre was feature in last weekend's New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/25/fashion/25andre.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Apparently, he was on the cover of Paris Vogue.
What is that! I can't believe that they wear outfit like that. It is so weird. The black guy is just not so good looking. But I admit. The outfit that he wears is so fashionable.
Oh, what a delightful capture of individual personality. I see Andre was featured in the NYT. Wow.
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